DoorSteps – Should You Use The Cheapest Online Agent To Sell Your Home?

DoorSteps claim to offer a property selling service for a measly £99, all while providing a “better service”… errr… OKAY! Has property really become this cheap to flog, even for this digital age?

I’m not usually big on writing overviews/reviews (or whatever dishevelled mess this will unravel to be), but I felt compelled to write about these guys’ for two reasons. Firstly, on a personal level, I find the whole online agency crap embarrassingly provocative, so that means I start to twitch when anything remotely noteworthy happens in the space. Secondly, their price point is freakishly fascinating, so I want to poke at it. Just a little.

Plus, it helps that I’m never on the pay-roll to hype, so I have no sense of responsibility or obligation to make this a comforting ordeal, which makes it an easier ride on the stomach.

Intro to DoorSteps…

DoorSteps.co.uk launched in 2016, but they’ve only recently started to get a whole heap of media attention for being the cheapest online agent (not lettings, sales only!)- offering a valuation and Rightmove/Zoopla marketing service starting from a measly £99. When compared to the market leader, PurpleBricks (obviously), who currently has a base price of a whopping £849… errr… you gotta’ ask questions, or at least scratch your nuts and wonder what’s with the disparity (and why people are still paying through their asses for a much more expensive alternative).

I was recently forced to catch a glimpse of the smug 19 YEAR OLD DoorSteps Founder appear on ITV’s ‘This Morning’, discussing why, how and when he started the company, because the peacocking entrepreneur brashly rams the clip down your gullet in the form of a pop-up when you visit the website. Here, try it. Extraordinarily annoying, but I get it. And yes, 19 years old. I have a colony of hairs on my back older than this newborn. Would it be a dick-move if I automatically assumed mummy and daddy bankrolled this venture? Well, I said it.

Good for him, though! I back-and-forth with him now and then via email and he seems like a nice guy, even if it is really, really, really difficult to admire progress of youth when you’re a withering middle-aged man that’s still scratching around in the same old crusty hole with no hope of escaping. What total bullshit!

Anyways, while they’re under the spotlight, I thought I’d shimmy into the conversation and offer a profoundly unqualified opinion.

Can you really sell your home for £99?

I can understand the confusion! When you pay doughnuts for a night of pleasure, you’re expecting to stumble upon an unsavoury, sweltering boil somewhere. If not on the surface, then most definitely during the middle of service in a place a little more inconspicuous… and bushy.

Sure, you can use DoorSteps to market your property for £99 on Rightmove & Zoopla, and then go onto sell it. They’re not lying about that, and from what I can tell there isn’t a catch.

However! Yes, however! After you’ve shit yourself from the shear excitement of being able to flog your house for peanuts, you realise the whole ’99’ thing is merely a hook, because most home-sellers will need the extras, which includes an EPC (+ £72) and professional photography (not available with the £99 package, so you’ll need to upgrade to their premium package, which is £199). If you value your time, it’s also worth noting that you’ll be investing some of that, too. It’s rarely just 99 nuggets all-in!

That said, even when you throw on the extras there’s still a catchy and competitive price-tag that blows almost everyone else out of the water. But more on that shortly.

So the short, dirty and ambiguous answer to the question: kinda’

Are DoorSteps actually THE cheapest?

Believe it or not… nope.

At least, they’re not anymore.

Another player recently entered the game, 99Home.co.uk, who, yup, you guessed it, also charge £99 (for a like-for-like package). Actually, if you apply the 5% discount code 99Home’s are dishing out, their package is cheaper, at a remarkable £94. When you compare that to high-street agent prices, the mind boggles, but when you compare that to most other online agents (the one’s most people only know about), the mind ejaculates.

On a sidenote, I’m genuinely impressed by 99Home’s product and service. But fair play to DoorSteps.co.uk, they’re still being heavily branded as ‘the cheapest’ because they’re reaping the rewards of being the first to market with such puny and freakish prices.

Who are these budget online agents for?

The obvious answer is, “they’re for anyone that wants to pay fuck-all for selling their home”, which is by and large true.

And yup, they’re just another reason for those high-street agents that are miserable about the emergence of online agents to further grumble, and mutter about how their futile digital opponents are spectacularly inferior because they’re unable to deliver the face-to-face personal service they can. *Yawn*

But there’s also another element to the suitability factor. It’s not just for tightwads that never tip and use old cereal boxes as toilet paper.

Online agents, and not just the budget ones’, are suited for people that aren’t shy of unsatisfying legwork, including the mundane shoot-yourself-in-the-face process of writing property descriptions and taking viewings. If you’re happy to deal with the general public, some of whom will be utterly grotesque and stink of cat-piss and decomposed human remains, then you should be using an online estate agent, otherwise you’ll probably end up grossly overpaying for an unnecessary service.

Yes, yes, yes, I know. Some online agents, technically called ‘hybrid agents‘, do offer ‘hosted viewings’, but then you’re entering into a whole new scary price bracket. For example, PurpleBricks charge an additional £300 just for hosted viewings, and that’s on top of their current £849 base price. The hybrid services clearly aren’t for the tightwads. And to be frank, they’re really not that much of a bargain after you throw on the extras- despite what their marketing material implies.

How much bang do you get for your buck?

DoorSteps currently offer two packages, and here’s an overview of each package…

Premium package

Discount available

As expected, the dirt-cheap package provides the bare bones, but the second most dirt-cheap package provides a little more punch, and it’s really not a bad deal.

I’ve been told that the “Premium package” does include an in-person valuation by a local expert, but I can’t find any mention of it on their website, which I find quite baffling. If details of the allusive local expert does exist, it appears to be tucked away in a dark and dingy corner, probably hidden away with their strap-ons. Again, baffling.

How do they fair against other online estate agents?

Strictly based on price and features, they seem to stack up nicely. But for accuracy and fairness, I’ll compare their two packages against like-for-like alternatives offered by other online estate agents.

Basic package

From what I’m aware, DoorSteps £99 package can only be compared to 99Home’s ‘Standard’ £99 package, at least for now…

Standard package

Please note, I try my best to keep the information of each agent up-to-date, but you should read the T&C’s from the agents’ website for the most up-to-date information.

If you want to take a gander at a more complete list of online agents, and also play around with search-filters that will help you determine how much you’ll end up paying after adding on all the extras (e.g. EPC’s, Photos etc), you may want to hop over to my main online estate agent page.

Should you use DoorSteps to sell your home?

I’ve never used DoorSteps, I’m just giving you an overview of my thoughts as a tyre-kicker and someone that has nothing better do than harbour an unflattering interest in the ‘online agency’ space, so I can’t give you a recommendation based on any real experience. All I can say is that they have a string of satisfied customers according to their TrustPilot page, and currently have over 1000 cheap bastards putting their hopes homes and dreams in their hands. Make of that what you will.

Am I endorsing DoorSteps? Fuck no! Do I think they’re so cheap that it’s one of those “Fuck it, why not?” purchases? Yup!

However, if I had to choose right now, I’d probably go with 99Home- not just because they’re six whole pounds cheaper – but purely because their technology/platform is currently more evolved. But if you’re after the bigger brand out of the two, DoorSteps is your boy.

TheHouseShop.com – an honourable mention…

I’m going to drift slightly off course momentarily, but only because I’m looking out for your best interest.

I think it’s fair to assume that if you’re mulling over the idea of using ‘the cheapest online estate agent’, selling for as little as possible is on the agenda. On that note, I feel encouraged to bring TheHouseShop.com into your world.

TheHouseShop isn’t an online estate agent. To be more accurate, I’d say they’re a property portal, similar to the likes of Rightmove & Zoopla. But unlike those two beasts, TheHouseShop allow individual private sellers to market their properties directly onto their portal for FREE (i.e. you don’t have to go through an agent to get listed, which is the barrier for entry that Rightmove & Zoopla demand). However, what all three do have in common is that they allow us to scour through UK properties for sale.

Yes, of course, TheHouseShop is puny and inferior compared to the leading portals in terms of popularity, so they’re unlikely to generate as many leads, but they still manage to attract millions of eyeballs, so it’s definitely worth shoving your property on there – since it’s completely free, and it’s all about maximising exposure.

Disclaimer: just in case your penny-pinching brain is getting hijacked and drooling at the prospect of solely relying on TheHouseShop to grab a free sale – I feel I need to be responsible by stopping you in your dirty little tracks… right NOW!

While TheHouseShop alone can generate leads and potentially result in a sale, I personally wouldn’t entirely count on it. You’ll stand a considerably better chance by getting your property listed on Rightmove & Zoopla with the assistance of an online agent like DoorSteps, and then using TheHouseShop as an assisting means of grabbing additional exposure.

So yeah, consider listing your property onto TheHouseShop.com, because you have nothing to lose.

My sentiments may not go down well with the providers (some of whom I adore, work with and promote), because many will argue that their customer service is impeccable, and their ‘in-house’ technology is unparalleled, and their ‘Sale Price Achieved’ percentage is superior… blah blah! But really, it’s all subjective bullshit, because they’re still offering the same products (which aren’t tangible!). If you ask any online agent why they’re better than their rivals, I’d be surprised if they’re able to provide any real reason! Trust me, I’ve asked the question and the answers were less than uninspiring.

However, perhaps there’s a genuine argument that some agents provide a cleaner/easier user-interface to manage the property details and enquiries, which may benefit those that still squint and struggle to navigate around Facebook. Each online agent will have their own customer control panel, which is probably the only noticeable difference between them. But meh, I wouldn’t put too much stock in that unless you’re my nan, or as equally devastating as her when operating modern technology. And yup, some platforms are more buggy and useless than others, but presumably they’re all still functional (otherwise they wouldn’t be operating). From what I’ve seen and heard, DoorSteps are pretty behind on the tech comparatively; so don’t expect much from then on that front. But then again, I’m not the type of person that’s surprised by the terrible lumber support on a £5 RyanAir flight.

If you’re relying on “good customer” service while using an online agent (not a hybrid agent), especially a dirt-cheap one (err.. even if they do have “better service” stamped into their cheesy slogan), then I’d argue that you’re a bit of a dimwit, because you don’t understand the online agent model properly, and the concept of “getting what you pay for” is lost on you.

Actually, perhaps that’s marginally unfair. But my point is, don’t use an online agent if you want your little hands held and expect good customer service, because that’s really what high-street agents are for (at least, they’re meant to be). I’m not saying you won’t receive good service, I’m saying you probably shouldn’t expect it to be anywhere close to overwhelming, or even above average (’cause you ain’t really paying for it). The whole online concept is largely based on automated technology and call-centres replacing real-life human service, and that’s why it’s so much more scalable and cheaper. On that note, don’t be surprised if phonecalls don’t get returned sharpish, or if you’re on hold forever and a day.

Interestingly, most of the negative feedback (which is significantly less than the positives) I read on TrustPilot about online agents is based on “Poor customer service”… *slaps forehead*

So to answer the actual question: if you’re choosing between online agents that offer the exact same service/features you require, then you may as well go for the cheapest option that has relatively good TrustPilot reviews (whoever that maybe at the time), in my opinion.

With the way the online agency industry is heading, I can’t help but feel the ‘customer acquisition’ process will become very similar to the state of the car insurance industry- what do most people do these days? They jump into comparison websites and go with the cheapest option that meets their requirements, combined with brand recognition (if there isn’t too much of a price difference i.e. I’ll pay £10 more for Aviva if my other choice is ‘The Best Car Insurance Company’). Why? Because for all intents and purposes, every insurer does the same thing, and we only really notice the difference in service if shit hits the fan. But that’s the psychology of paying for a budget/cheaper product, you’re actually betting against disaster and hoping it pays off.

How are the more expensive alternatives able to compete?

Honestly, I really don’t know the answer, but I can speculate the crap out of the question.

I believe it boils down to marketing, brand recognition, and consumer ignorance. If it’s something else, then fuck me sideways and call me Mary, I’m at a loss, because I’ve already confessed that I don’t think any of them are offering anything particularly unique from one another, and I think that’s pretty transparent when you cross-reference the virtual packages.

Some of the bigger players, like emoov, YOPA and PurpleBricks spend buttloads on marketing, and that’s certainly working for them (to a certain degree). But they haven’t been marketing against each other – the direct competition – they’ve been marketing against high-street agents! They’re so busy highlighting how much cheaper they are compared to high-street agents, that we’re forgetting to ask how they compare against their own digital kind. Not exactly the heist of the century, but an effective use of misdirection nonetheless.

PurpleBricks’ in particular, has a brand so strong that it’s synonymous with ‘Online Agent’, and some people hermits don’t even realise there are much cheaper options.

Is there also an exaggerated perception of greater price equating to a better product in this particular scenario? Perhaps.

£99… it probably won’t last!!

According to DoorSteps’ supersized caption on their homepage, they REALLY want you to know they’re “the UK’s 18th largest and fastest growing estate agent”

No doubt, a totally believable claim considering they’ve made a bag of cashew nuts more expensive than selling property. But I’d bet my left sack on the fact they’re not in anyone’s rich list. How can they be? The profit margin on their packages must be pittances. How many units do they need to shift in order to pay for just one salary? Yet, remarkably, they claim to be worth a staggering £12m… err, yeah, alright.

I mentioned earlier that the whole £99 thing is merely a hook, but I also think it’s a temporary one. It’s unlikely that DoorSteps £99 package, or even the £199 one for that matter, will be sustainable for the foreseeable future, even if they do outsource all their web-development needs to a remote village in India, where the average salary is 10p per day (which I actually suspect they do). In fact, if they’re not already loss-leader products, I suspect they will be soon enough.

While I’m absolutely reluctant to believe I could be totally wrong about this, it’s entirely possible. However, from my experience, I can tell you that most estate agents that come swarming into the market with stupid prices and smug ambitions eventually get obliterated by increasing Rightmove and Zoopla fees, so there’s usually a very limited shelf-life for the ‘bat-shit crazy prices’ game.

Either way, who cares? The price is the price. So, if you’re contemplating putting your pad on the market, and you’re the ultimate skinflint that just wants a cheap and easy way of shoving your property onto the UK’s biggest property portals… now ain’t a bad time to do it for as little as 9,400 pennies.

Over to you…

Have you used an online estate agent? If so, who and how was your experience?

If not, would you ever use an online agent to sell?

Would you use DoorSteps? Is their price appealing or just too scary?

Like I said, this online agency crap is my crack-pipe, so all feedback appreciated!

56 Comments- Join The Conversation...

I'm now an ex-landlord having sold out of the game and listed my property with Doorsteps in mid-September and completed at the beginning of November. You're right to say that this will work best for people who don't mind getting their hands dirty and doing the viewings. I also spent time doing all the photography and getting the description to be as full and acurate as possible. (Actually, I already had the photos from when I advertised the flat for rent through Upad, thanks to this site). Anyway, I just asked Doorsteps to forward me any enquiries and I would deal with it - which I did. The couple who bought my flat said it was a breath of fresh dealing with someone who actually new the first thing about the property. The two other properties they viewed after mine where with highstreet estate agents who know exactly jack squat about the properties - not even some very basic things. These feckless individuals clearly won't survive if they offer less service for substantially more money. I had three value mine, two were close but the cockiest of them all said he was, and I quote, 'the best salesman in the area' and would sell it in 4 weeks. He valued it £35k under what I sold it for (in two weeks and three days) so no doubt he would have sold it fast. Especially keeping in mind this is a one-bed flat, so £35k is not just a margin for error at this end of the market.

In terms of Doorsteps service, it was basic. I emailed a description and photos and got an email to confirm when it was up. I made an error with the postcode and phoned to fix it, got through and it was done promptly. Whether they can sustain this as they grow is another matter. There is no backend technology or fancy user interfaces from what I can see, just some bloke (called Luke in my case) working all the hours that God sends uploading stuff to Rightmove and Zoopla. Overall, if you are happy with the DIY approach, I can't really fault it, but it won't be for everyone and I obviously can't comment on their negotiating skill and comms on other fronts. But yes, you can sell a property for £99 and some legwork.

Cheers, Alex

6

Graham Ireland22nd November, 2017 @ 14:16

I bought one of my BTL properties through the PB agency. They did contact me a couple of times to check on the progress of the purchase particularly as the vendor was using their recommended solicitor and I was doing my own conveyancing. I did feel that they were doing a job for both their client and their buyer. Once into the legal transaction that is when solicitors put in huge delays and doing it myself avoided this. Selling my mothers house I had a high street agent who had to work really hard on a daily basis for several months managing the legal process. On that one he really earned his fee large as it was. I still wish I had done my own conveyancing on that one too as I would have had far more control of the process.

7

The Landlord22nd November, 2017 @ 14:43

@Sarah Allen
Selfish ol' me, I didn't actually consider the customer service aspect from the buyers point of view.

I'm actually not surprised by your experience, because I imagine they have very limited resources (as stated in my blog post). 3 days for a callback is horrendous. However, it's difficult to speculate why they never got back to you after the vendor returned from holiday. From a seller's point of view, she may have got the sale, which makes it worthwhile for them. However, still poor for the buyer.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

8

The Landlord22nd November, 2017 @ 14:45

@Faemina,

Hatched is another one that's quite popular! Glad the whole online thing worked out for you :)

And to be honest, £450+VAT really isn't a bad price considering.

Thanks for sharing!

9

The Landlord22nd November, 2017 @ 14:50

@Rav,
I've conversed with one of the co-founders (really nice guy) and it's obvious they take customer service seriously, and their tech seems to be on point! I'm not surprised by your endorsement.

10

The Landlord22nd November, 2017 @ 14:56

@Ken,
Holy crap, that sounds like a right mess. A lot of emotions flying around.

I wouldn't quite say they're a false economy, but I would say online agents are more suited for straightforward cases. The logistics of them dealing with complicated chains doesn't seem like it would be in their best interest financially. However, with the amount you pay to PB, you'd expect a good service despite the circumstances. But that's also why I think they're overpriced.

Hope it all worked out either way! Thanks for sharing.

11

The Landlord22nd November, 2017 @ 15:00

@Grumpy
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!!

Haha, not surprised at all by your lousy experience at all. You gotta' wonder where the 'local agents' are flushed out from! It's real hit or miss.

Agreed, the value is getting your property on Rightmove, and then it's down to you to process and handle all the enquiries/viewings from then on! You become prone to failure the more you start relying on 'service' from online agents.

12

The Landlord22nd November, 2017 @ 15:05

@Alex,
Haha, great amusing summary, thanks for that.

"I just asked Doorsteps to forward me any enquiries and I would deal with it" - I definitely think that's the way forward. To be honest, I assumed they did that be default.

'the best salesman in the area' - absolute classic. What a smarmy little git!

Haha @ poor Luke! They probably top up his bowel of water every couple of hours so he doesn't overheat.

I think the most anyone should expect is "basic"

Thanks again Alex, that was both useful and enjoyable.

13

pandaposta22nd November, 2017 @ 18:06

I've just used the online agency House Simple to sell my parent's house. They were just £295 (usually £595 but had offer on and still do). Once I expressed an interest in going with them they were in touch that day to arrange for a photographer who came within the week. I was under no obligation to go with them until I had seen the photos. Their valuation was guided by us although they were in the right region. They advertised on Rightmove and, although we did the viewings, they followed up each viewing with requests for feedback. Like PB they are a call centre and their dashboard system for monitoring activity isn't particularly user friendly. I also felt that they wished me to sell quickly so that they could use the turnaround time in their marketing (so many houses sold within x weeks) - and in this regard I'm not sure whether they were really acting for me in the final negotiations. Still, I didn't have to accept any offers and as I was doing the viewings I could always arrange to deal direct with any interested parties. There's a few things I would do differently in handling the negotiations but the cheapest high street estate agent was quoting £1500 so I was quite happy with the House Simple experience.

14

Grumpy22nd November, 2017 @ 20:13

The purple bricks expert said to me most investors "wanted a 10% yield."

He then calculated the value about 250k less than the actual value... i actually burst out laughing.

In anycase right now with with a local agent as im away for 5 weeks on hols so will see if they can sell it while im away. If not then might try doorsteps.

G'Day mate

15

Tom22nd November, 2017 @ 21:41

I used Tepilo last month to sell my flat in London. I paid something in the region of £700-800 flat fee for six months advertising - it may sound expensive, but bear in mind that the flat was £450,000 so Foxtons wanted 3% (£13,500) and local agent wanted 1.8% (£8,100), so they brick and mortar agents were 10 to 17 times more expensive. I had the best experience ever with Tepilo, very helpful staff and sales negotiators and progression team. I had about a dozen viewings and I accepted an offer at asking price, sadly the buyer pulled out a month later at the 11th hour (first time buyer, problems with mortgage) and the property was readvertised with no further costs, I had a handful of viewings over the weekend and accepted another offer on Monday, so I managed to keep my chain intact. I probably would be tempted to pay £99 but in all honesty, whether it is £99 or even £999 it doesn't matter when my local agents wanted between £8,000 and £13,500. Honestly, I am not sure what kind of added value would they offer, I think high street estate and letting agents' days are numbered... Don't know what they would have done extra for that £13k apart from a guy in a suit arriving in a Mini Cooper to accompany viewings - and for £13k I saved I can buy a suit and a Mini Cooper and still have some change left...

16

Pauline23rd November, 2017 @ 04:06

We used Hatched. Ticked all the boxes - local contact came and gave a valuation which tallied with our own research. He took a good range of photos and after clearing the content with us, the house listing was on Rightmove within a day or so. Telephone contact was efficient and friendly. They liaised with our buyers solicitors when we asked them to. Perhaps a bit less proactive in pushing the sale forward than a high street agent - but no real complaints about that. And of course we saved a shed load of money.

17

The Landlord23rd November, 2017 @ 13:59

@pandaposta,

Ahh yeah, House Simple, another popular online agent.

Your experience highlights some great tips for everyone else. I'm not surprised by the pressure to accept an offer asap, and I suspect you're right about giving them material for marketing. As said, I think there's so little difference between them, the "we sell the average house within x weeks" line is one of the few hooks that separates them! But I find that figure a bit misleading and unhelpful (when you really think about it), although it probably works.

£295 is a great price for selling regardless. Glad it worked out.

Thanks for sharing!!

18

The Landlord23rd November, 2017 @ 14:00

@Grumpy
If you end up using DoorSteps (or anyone else), let us know how you get on, please! Enjoy your holiday and Good luck :)

19

The Landlord23rd November, 2017 @ 14:08

@Tom
You're right, paying £800 compared to £8,000 - £13,000... that's a no-brainer. I'd also be happy with that. Glad to hear your experience with Tepilo was so positive.

Haha, totally agree about the allusive "added value" a high-street agent would add for an additional £7,200. It just doesn't add up at all.

I've never understood why high-street agents take a percentage!! Surely the work required to selling a property, in theory, should equate to the same amount?

It's predicted that in the next 5 years online agents are going to eat up a significant portion of the market, and it's not hard to see why. At a certain point, they start making an insane amount of money for doing no extra work.

20

The Landlord23rd November, 2017 @ 14:12

@Pauline,
Ahh nice one!! Another happy Hatched customer.

It's reassuring to hear how so many people are having success with the online model and consequently saving so much money. As Tom said, I also suspect the high street estate and letting agents' days are numbered, because their fees just doesn't stack up.

Thanks for sharing your experience, appreciated.

21

The Landlord24th November, 2017 @ 08:46

hmmm... just went onto the DoorSteps website, looks like they're doing a Black Friday sale, and only charging £1 *mind blown*

I don't know the details, because you need to request a callback...

22

shame29th November, 2017 @ 20:47

I think they will do well. They remind me of open rent who started back in 2012. They came an simplified lettings online at good price, they still appear to be going strong. Good luck to them.

I wont be using them to sell though I like to stick to local crooks instead of online ones

23

The Landlord29th November, 2017 @ 20:56

@shame,
Yeah, I can see how DoorSteps can be compared to OpenRent (who I've used, love and endorse)- both came into the market with crazy low price-points. But I think OpenRent have a more sustainable model (for various reasons). The thing with OpenRent is that they have really slick tech, so almost everything is automated and therefore cheaper to operate!

24

get what you pay for11th January, 2018 @ 12:59

I have had my house on the market with Doorsteps for three months and have had 6 viewings. The bookings were made with their online booking form which comes through to me as an email. They don't have a sophisticated dashboard like Purple Bricks but then you pay £1k more with them. I only paid £199 and thought I would try Doorsteps. What do you have to lose? In comparison to the 1.5% the high street agents charge? If you are not in a hurry to sell and want to see the level of interest you get then try Doorsteps. Warning: they are a bit disorganised - it took three weeks and three visits for someone to come and get a for sale sign up but to be honest not really sure how much value for sale signs add these days as everything is done online.
I have had very little contact with them since my house went up - it's not like someone like Haart who you feel close to and contact you all the time with updates. I will be interested to see how things go from here as I am close to accepting an offer.

25

The Landlord11th January, 2018 @ 13:11

Thanks for the feedback. Interesting to hear your experience.

I definitely think you had the right mindset going into DoorSteps - you were realistic about what you were paying for. Anyone that uses their service expecting more than Rightmove & Zoopla marketing and lead generation is delusional. Don't get me wrong, you may get more out of it, but that's an added bonus.

Yeah, DoorSteps lack of dashboard is the reason I would favour the other budget online agent I mention, 99Home.co.uk- they seem to be far more evolved technologically for the same money.

Please let us know how you get on.

P.s. If you still want more exposure, you may also want to take a gander at thehouseshop.com - they allow vendors/landlords to list for free, and their website is getting increasingly popular.

26

Jean11th January, 2018 @ 19:21

I put my flat on in September 2017 with Doorsteps, I have had NO viewings whatsoever!
No feedback from Doorsteps, I had to do all the chasing asking them why I did not have any interest...
The for sale sign was put up quite quickly but with the wrong flat number on! The photographer came and took photos (I supplied better ones). The photographer priced the flat and then asked me what I thought it should be priced at ? This obviously did not fill me with confidence as he was just a photographer.

After 3 months I called and said did they get the price right? Doorsteps said that I could reduce it and see if there is any interest. They then said it would be ready to go to catch the New Year interest. I reduced it by £15,000. The flat above being sold by a high street agent also reduced their price by £15,000...
Yesterday I wrote to Doorsteps and asked my email to be forwarded to Akshay the owner.
I expressed my concern and asked why he thought I had NO viewings and he was quite vague but said that I should switch to another seller as sometimes switching, just to get a new listing date - you can see a surge.

I was quite taken aback by this comment. So I have to leave and pay someone else just to get a new listing date as the old adverts on Rightmove and Zoopla showing how long my flat had been on the market would actually be detrimental to selling my flat!

I am now looking at high street agents and seeing if they have any January reduced fee deals going on !
Very disappointed by Doorsteps service.

27

The Landlord11th January, 2018 @ 21:11

@Jean
Thanks for sharing your experience, and sorry to hear it's been a negative one.

Must admit, that sounds like terrible disorganised service! Very surprised they told you to try another seller (although, I do understand the logic behind it).

My only word of caution is that before you try a high-street agent, bear in mind that they all mostly also rely on enquiries from Zoopla and Rightmove.

If you're adamant on going with a high-street agent this time, just make sure they have a strong local presence, and not just relying on the portals - because otherwise you may just end up with the same tumble weed results.

If you're willing to try another budget agent, I can only repeat what I have already said - I would try 99home.co.uk - I know from personal experience that their customer service is pretty good.

Also, like I advised "get what you pay for" (comment #25), it might be worth putting your property on TheHouseShop.com - they're similar to Rightmove but 100% free, so there's nothing to lose.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck, and please keep me updated!

28

Jean12th January, 2018 @ 11:02

Hello Landlord
Thanks for your input....
I spoke to a local high street agent yesterday who had been around for 25 years, he told me that 1 in 5 sales are people that walk through the door, the rest come from looking online! So I get your point about Rightmove and Zoopla ..
He said to wait for the spring as he thinks the market will pick up then...
He also said that he thinks sales were bad all round last year due to Brexit and the fact that some Buy to Let landlords panicked and sold up and this flooded the market with flats!
I cannot wait to sell for too long as I need the equity to pay for a family members Nursing Home fees, but I will not be telling ANY agent of prospective buyer that as I need a good price!
I have had high street agents see that I am selling with Doorsteps, contact me and offer a ridiculously low price from property investors :-(

Will keep you updated.....

29

Jean12th January, 2018 @ 11:34

Hello Landlord

Forgot to mention I have had property listed on Houseshop.com since early December I have had 1 person enquiring about the location..

30

The Landlord12th January, 2018 @ 15:24

@Jean
Ahh sorry to hear about your pressing circumstances.

While I'm not excusing DoorSteps lack of communication (which I'm not surprised by), it sounds like the lack of enquiries could be down to seasonal trends (notoriously, November - Jan is pretty dead for sales), combined with Brexit etc.

Either way, to market on Rightmove & Zoopla for £99 is a pretty good deal alone.

Hopefully things should start to pick up in the coming weeks, as everyone settles back to normality after the New Year.

31

Jean31st January, 2018 @ 16:12

Landlord
I de-instructed Doorsteps today.... no viewing whatsoever since flat was put on in September 2017..

Have used a high street agent.. will see what happens now.

32

The Landlord31st January, 2018 @ 17:17

Ahh sorry it didn't work out! Thanks for the update (keep 'em coming, if you don't mind). Hope you have better luck this time.

33

gary denny20th February, 2018 @ 12:09

worst agent ive ever had to deal with, don't ring back , my seller lost a buyer because they didn't reschedule, not worth typing an e mail to - avoid like the plague, took 4 e mails to even get a viewing... if I could give no stars I would

34

Bumble20th March, 2018 @ 19:02

Doorsteps are what they are. For £99 you get your property advertised. If you are comfortable conducting your own viewings and sifting through your own leads, then it's definitely the way to go. I would always suggest lead forwarding, as opposed to an online agent booking the viewings for you themselves. You then have complete control over who enters your property (i.e their position), and can diarise them to suit you. I also tried 99Home, and frankly, they were abysmal. Poor communication with a severe lack of English speaking staff, not got a clue how to make changes on property portals, completely fluffed up listing each and every time. Sure, they might be more technically advanced, but this means diddly squat if they can't string a sentence together, and do not have the know how to update listings. Doorsteps all the way for me.

35

Tina Brown3rd April, 2018 @ 23:29

I previously had a review on here that had to amend. I have also been told by Doorsteps they will pay (refund) me to take this review down. But I think what would be best if they show they can actually deliver a good service. My previous review as follows:
They forget to contact potential buyers about viewings you can do. SO possible you can pose a buyer. So bad I've asked them to forward me the enquiries myself so I can follow up and book. I had an enquiry re the service charge they wanted to pass on to the potential buyer. I sent them the details although I had given them that info 3 times in the past. I contacted the person myself too that night to make sure the info had been passed on. It hadnt. NO FOLLOW calls to the viewers after they viewed. I called and complained to the manager - I think his name may have been Ashkay or similar. Promised dedicated Doorstpes rep for me and I would be emailed over all the details that afternoon. That was 4 days ago. Terrible terrible service. All they do is put your advert on Rightmove and Zoopla. NOTHING ELSE.

36

coolie4th April, 2018 @ 08:16

Tina brown that's true, doorsteps pretty much do just advertise your property. But for £99 what do you expect? If you want all the rest that goes with it you need to opt for an agent that charges between 1-2%, and even then I've known some pretty dire agents that can't be bothered to deliver. With doorsteps get what you pay for, which is an online advert that would hopefully lead to an interested party in your property. It's the cheapest way of getting your property on all major portals, which you can't do yourself. That's about it.

37

Whitby seller28th April, 2018 @ 10:16

5* from me.

Sold 1 month after advertising on Doorsteps. We produced our own photos and floor plans that were better than any of the high street agents produce locally.

We sold after 4 viewings. We actually preferred to "sell" our own house by pointing out all the benefits of the property as we showed people around.

We had a local agent come out for a valuation who told us that they would market the property at their valuation - not ours. We sold online with Doorsteps for £1k below our asking price and £20k more than the last sale on our street a year ago.

£99 a bargain - compared with £3k for a local agent.

38

Tina29th April, 2018 @ 23:07

I would not recommend this estate agent... pooooor

39

Alex30th April, 2018 @ 06:00

Having previously rated Doorsteps very highly, I now think the cracks are showing in how they manage their service. Since having sold my property in September 2017, I have been repeatedly emailed people's personal details related to viewings of other properties that seem to have the same keyword i.e. my name or the name of the road my property was on. I've emailed them on a number of occasions to flag the problem; they simply don't bother to acknowledge it or respond. I must have received 10-12 different people's personal information for 6+ months and have pointed out that they are breaking data protection regs and now GDPR but they simply don't seem bothered. I imagine their cut price service means they don't really have the resources in place to do things properly and comply with the law.

40

June15th August, 2018 @ 07:28

I signed up with doorsteps. Easy peasy. Photos were fab and listing was on Rightmove within a day. Easy to edit anything. I don't like using tge portal as I prefer to message the potential buyers myself. All good so far. Had an offer yesterday so I will see how this gets handled by Doorsteps and keep you posted. I can't fault them for such a cheap price.

41

The Landlord21st August, 2018 @ 23:07

@June
Great to hear you've had a positive experience so far. Please do keep us posted about how it all turns out!

42

The Landlord21st August, 2018 @ 23:18

@Alex,

The issues you're describing is probably due to their woeful lack of sophisticated tech. Once your properly is removed from their system or marked with a "sold" status, you'd think even the most basic of systems would prevent you from receiving any more enquiries.

As you experienced, it's almost inevitable for the cracks to eventually surface with such a cut price product. But ultimately, I guess they do what they say on the tin, but I do think it's important that no one has expectations of receiving a house selling service valued beyond £99.

In regards to breaking GDPR regulations... not surprising. I'm still dealing with companies breaking GDPR regulations on a weekly basis.

43

Michelle11th September, 2018 @ 08:34

All, I would like to share my experience with this online agent. Please read before you decide to use this agent. As a first time seller, I chose the agent based on the reviews on Trustpilot but I regret and am so utterly disappointed. The service was appalling!! I paid the premium package, including all photographs, floor plan and featured listing back in Apr, costing £499.

Looking through the correspondences, below are some of the highlights.

In April, when my flat advert was put up, for the highest package I had paid, I was not able to find my flat came up on top of search (for having featured listing) at Rightmove. Also, I was not able to find my flat by simply search my area. Doorsteps explained initially and was not able to fix. Then I had to call you multiple times till they put me through your media team to have this finally fixed after several attempts.

I had one viewing. I have not had feedback requested from the viewer till 2 months later! But the veiwer no longer wanted to provide feedback as almost two months had gone pass.

I raised the above issues to one of the managers by spending at least 40mins on the phone explaining the situation and was assured that Doorsteps would improve the quality of service.

In one instance, when I requested my advert marketing report, I was sent a marketing report of a random flat!

Above are some of the examples, I have not listed all.

I am still trying to reach a resolution with the company at the moment, if not, will be raising the issue to The Property Ombudsman. My advice would be, if you are going to use online agent, use - no sell no fee. Because experience told me, with doorsteps, you paid them, they got the money, then it is not their business anymore whether or not you sell. Or if you really want to use then, use £99 because they simply cannot deliver premium service.

44

Deborah18th October, 2018 @ 18:36

Very difficult to arrange a viewing. More interested in getting more money from you than selling your home

45

B'water30th November, 2018 @ 16:38

We responded to Black Friday marketing, only to be told that we will have to use their "solicitors" at £800+VAT (not in their advertising NOT even small print of Terms & Condition.

On questioning the person that had previously claimed to be the "sales manager", it prevailed that their offer is based on use of "conveyancers" NOT solicitors.

The "sales manager" then stated that if we pay £99 we will receive the £199 package based on their Black Friday offer and do NOT have to use their solicitors.

I agreed, but then he said that he had made a mistake and if we do not wish to use their solicitors, their Black Friday offers does not apply.

Irrespective, we agreed to go ahead for marketing of one of our properties to try out their service as we have had great response in advertising our properties ourselves.

He then stated that we could benefit from "professional photos". He hurried me along to make a payment to ensure we get the photographer booked for the coming weekend.

I made a payment and called to speak to "sales manager" concerned, and left an urgent message for him to call me. However, I discovered that no information had been setup for the payment received (for which no invoice was sent) and it will be a professionally untrained "estate agent" that will take the photos NOT a professional photographer.

No call back, but an email to refer me to company director (Sarah Carrino) and another person. No call to book a weekend appointment as promised.

After another day of no response, no invoice and and no work on our behalf, we requested a refund.

Sarah Carino (company director) then called to convince not to cancel. A lengthy call and her promise to confirm partial refund and appointment for herself to do the photography package did not materialise. No response to my confirmation email requesting refund and deletion of our details (we were receiving multitude of texts to our landline) as we had never been asked if our details could be used for marketing purpose.

Multitude of emails went unanswered in the next 7 days, but received a call form "photographer" to book a session with our detail live in their system.

In threat of negative feedback and actions, they requested a paypal invoice from us to refund our money (note that they never sent an invoice and received or money using bank transfer). Again no response to requesting that they send money to our email address.

The "sales manager" turned out to be a young trainee that did not know the difference between solicitors and conveyancers to quote the company director. It is astonishing that the company director was blaming "Finance Department" for our none receipt of invoice and refund.

They have wasted much of our time in chasing them and we will certainly report them to Consumer protection and take a small claim case against them to recover our sums.

46

Richard20th December, 2018 @ 16:11

I'm happy to get the property onto Rightmove for £99 and handle the prospective buyers myself. Is there any advice on assessing a "good" buyer e.g. can I ask for evidence of adequate funding sources, evidence of existing property on the market, references?

47

B Mustapha22nd December, 2018 @ 19:43

I am very dissatisfied and disappointed with this agency. They are very unprofessional and dishonest in their nature. The seller had accepted an offer on a property to which the agency had agreed to take the property off the market and not accept any more views or offers. After we had paid the solicitors fee as well as survey costs, the account Manager if doorsteps.co.uk Meera Patel contacted me to say that the seller has a higher offer and if we can up the price or the seller will take the highest offer made. Clearly they had decided to play the game if upping the price. Stay clear of DoorSteps as this agency clearly does not understand the values and ethics of business. Money talks for them and any accepted offers would be at face value, whilst in the background it would seem that they would break the promises with the seller and still be willing to deal secretly with with others to make an extra little bit more on the side if possible.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STAY CLEAR OF THIS AGENCY.

It’s a pity, I was willing to purchase several other apartments from them....

48

The Landlord23rd December, 2018 @ 11:52

@B Mustapha
Clearly that's not the agency's fault, but more so the fact the seller continued to accept offers. And who can blame the sellers for accepting a higher offer?

49

Annalisa Dunham31st December, 2018 @ 13:56

Unfortunately I have had nothing but bad service from Doorsteps. We are selling a property with them and had two viewings arranged.

The people who arranged these viewings both cancelled about an hour before they were due to arrive. All I got was a text from Doorsteps to say viewing cancelled. I phoned them to ask if they knew why the viewings had been cancelled and if the viewers would be rescehduling. They hadn’t bothered to get this information which I would have thought was part of their job. I asked if they could get this information and try and reschedule the viewings if relevant. They never phoned me back despite me phoning them for this information a second time. These viewings never got rearranged.
A further viewing took place but I never received any feedback which again is their job and would help us to know if there is anything we need to do to help us sell the property. I asked for them to get feedback and they promised they would and that they’d phone back - but I received nothing, again despite me phoning them several times for this information.

Another two viewings were then arranged and I received a text for both. Except one of these viewings was for a time three hours previous to when I received the text! So I phoned Doorsteps as I was worried I had missed the viewing. I couldn’t get through despite it saying that it was a 30 seconds wait. I phoned twice and was on hold for over 15 minutes each time only to then be cut off. I then phoned again and chose the call back option but didn’t get a call back. I phoned yet again and eventually got through after another 15minute hold (all the whole being told it was a 30second wait). I asked why I had a viewing request for a time that had already gone and was told their system had a flaw where viewers can go online and book a time in the past - so I fed back that this probably could do with changing! I was really worried I had missed a viewing because of this. However the viewer had made the appointment at this time in error.
I then received an offer on the property of which I was notified by text. I phoned Doorsteps to try and discuss things as I wanted to negotiate with the buyer and feel this is better done over the phone than via email/ text. I was informed that there was no-one in the office who could deal with this and so they’d need to phone me back. I said I didn’t trust that they would phone back as I’d never had calls back previously when they said they’d reply, but asked if that was the case when would I get a call back? They were unable to say what time they’d phone me back so I told them not to bother. What kind of estate agent doesn’t have people in who can deal with offers being made on a property?! So disappointed with the service. Constantly having to chase for feedback and for responses to phone calls does not make the selling process very easy.

50

Anisha Thakrar21st January, 2019 @ 19:44

Innovating, young and fresh ideas. It’s the CEO that makes it what it is. Amazing service, I will use time and time again.

51

Aimy7th April, 2019 @ 17:15

Used doorsteps to sell my property, they are brill! Sent a lovely agent to take images (the 199 package) and do floorplan and description. They were honest and knowledgeable. I'd definitely use them again. They have a great online portal so you can follow viewings etc and they are at the end of a phone or email all the time it seems!

52

Emma8th May, 2019 @ 05:35

I used Doorsteps and for £99, they're a no-brainer! Yes, we had a couple of hiccups where an incorrect booking was made, but the service lines are always open so it's easy to resolve any issues.

My agent successfully negotiated a sale of £166k on my flat (listed at £170k) when other local agents were telling me I'd priced too high.

I think it helps that I was selling a 'Tyneside Flat'. This build is typical in and around Newcastle and usually quickly bought up by first time buyers or investors who know what they're getting with this type of property.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Doorsteps - saved us +£900!

53

Stewart8th May, 2019 @ 18:59

Woeful, the photographs online were distorted, could never get to speak to anyone about itat first, then when I sent an e mail saying I was pulling out I got a call assuring me the photographs would be amended, 6 months later they are still distorted. Paid £400 for them to show people round, after having one viewing in 6 months decided to leave them. I requested a partial refund of my £400,I tried to talk to someone about this over two days and was promised someone would call me back, the call never came. o yourself a favour and avoid them.

54

Neil15th May, 2019 @ 21:58

I called them 3 times but was put in a queue and gave up. Emailed them twice and no reply. I was interested in a house they were marketing but have given up on it. Now I see why they are so cheap, they literally do nothing

A little introduction...

I initially started this blog because I wanted to document my every step to becoming a BTL landlord,
in hope that others' (with more experience) would discover my dronings and have the heart to help me - a beetle on its back - along the way. I literally didn't have a clue about being a landlord
when I started this website.

Having expanded my property portfolio over the years, I now occassionally blog about my bitter life as a Landlord, so fellow Landlords (prospective, new, and seasoned) can learn from my few successes and frequent failures.

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